Method of and apparatus for assembling plural blank boxes



May 24, 1932. WALTER 1,859,640

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLING PLURAL BLANK BOXES Filed Feb. 3, 1930 Patented May 24, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HARRISON B. WALTER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGN OR TO CONTAINER CORPORATION OF AMERICA, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLING PLURAL BLANK BOXES Application filed February 3, 1930. Serial No. 425,421.

The present invention relates to a method of and apparatus for assembling plural blank boxes and more particularly relates to the art of assembling the parts of recessed end boxes.

- One object of the invention is to provide a simple and economical apparatus for carrying out the method of assembling the box. Another object of the invention is to provide a method of sealing boxes of this type requiring a minimum of apparatus for the purpose.

To these and other ends the invention resides in certain improvements and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being is pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

' In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a box and a head shown ready to be assembled therein which operation the present invention is designed to facilitate;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the body blank having a collar made in accordance with the present invention, applied thereto, the body blank being shown in readiness to receive the head illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view, partly in cross-section, showing the relationship of partswhen the recessed head is ready to be stapled to the body blank;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a box with the recessed heads in place therein and ready for loading; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view showing one end of the box when sealed and ready for shipment.

Similar reference numerals throughout the several views indicate the same parts.

The present invention is particularly ad vantageous in connection with the manufacture of so-called top-loading, recessed-end boxes, and is intended to be operated in conjunction with a stapling machine of the type disclosed in my prior Patent No. 1,250,735, although the utility of the present invention is by no means limited to this particular type of stapling machine. 1

In the manufacture of so-called end-loading, recessed-end boxes the body blank is first formed in the shape of a tube and a short flap on one wall is secured to the end of an adj acent wall. The tubular body member then as one end, or head, applied thereto by a stapling machine of the type above referred to, and for the purpose of holding the head in place while it is being stapled there has heretofore been employed a form mounted on a rolling deck such as disclosed in my prior Patent No. 1,253,754.

For the purposes of manufacturing recessed-end boxes of the end-loading t pe the rolling deck and form is entirely satis actory, but when it is desired to produce recessedend boxes ofthe top-loading type the rolling deck and form has certain disadvantages. This is mainly due to the fact that, in this top-loading type of box, the body member is not at first secured in tubular form.

Referrin more particularly to the drawings, 10 indicates the body member of the box in the assembly of which the present invention is employed. The body member is formed from a flat blank of sheet material, preferably of fibre board, although other materials may be employed with e ual facility. This body member 10 is suitab y scored to provide a to 11, bottom 12 and side walls 13 and 14. short attaching flap 15 is provided on the side wall 14.

In order to close the ends of the box, head 0 or end members 16 are provided. Each head member has short attaching flaps or flanges 17, 18, 19 and 20 projecting therefrom and adapted to be bent at right angles to the head 16 so that the head can be inserted with- U in the end of the tubular body member.

For the purpose of holding the body member in tubular form there is provided a collar member 21 adapted to he slipped over the end of the body member after being folded into a tubular condition as shown in Fig. 2. The collar 21 is formed of a plurality of pieces or bars of wood 22 or other suitable material, the numberof bars forming the collar depending on the number of sides of 95 the box. Since the box usually has four sides and is rectangular in form the collar also will usually be rectangular. The internaldimensions of the collar 21 are such that when the collar is slipped into place on the end loo portion of a tubular body member at least two of the side walls will be compressed or,

deflected inwardly so that when the head member 16 is inserted it will be frictionally held in place by reason of this inward deflection of the side walls. In practice it is usually desirable to so construct the collar 21 that each of the side walls will be somewhat deflected inwardly when the collar has been slipped onto the body member.

Means are preferably provided for facilitating the slipping of the collar onto the tubular body member. For this purpose at least one of the bars 22 of the collar is bevelled at an inner edge as indicated at 23. In practice, however, each bar 22 is bevelled along each of its inner edges as clearly shown in Fig. 3.

In the use and operation the body blank 19 will first be folded into tubular form, as shown in Fig. 2; the collar 21 will then be slipped over the end of the tubular-body member; and the head member 16 will next be inserted in place within the body member so that the flanges 17, 18, 19 and 20 will lie flat against the respective walls 11, 13, 12 and 14 and will have their edges substantially flush with the edges of such walls, see Figs. 3, 4 and 5. l

The head is now ready to be stapled in place. The operator will grasp the collar 21 and manipulate the box so as to present it between the staple mechanism 24 and the clenching block 25 of a stapling machine of the type above mentioned. In practice the operator will begin by stapling flange 18 to wall 13, next stapling flange 19 to wall 12 and last stapling flange 20-to wall 14. Flange 17 will not be stapled to top wall 11 and flap 15 at this time. The collar is then slid down to the opposite end of the box and the other head member 16 is stapled in place, after which the collar is removed and the box is ready to receive its load of material. For loading purposes the top 11 and flap 15 are bent outwardly so that the box will appear substantially as illustrated in Fig. 4.

After filling the box the flap 15 and top 11 will be bent inwardly and the top 11 will be secured to the flanges 17 at each end of the box. This may be done by again presenting the box to the stapling machine represented in Fig" 3. The top 11 may, if desired, be secure to the flap 15 by adhesive, by gummed tape or by use of a blade anvil stapling machine. It is not always necessary, however, to secure the top to the flap 15.

The filled andclosed box will appear substantially as shown in Fig. 5.

While the heads have been described as being secured in place by means of staples other means could be employed for this purpose and it is desired, therefore, that the invention be not considered as limited to use with a stapling machine.

assaeeo .ber in tubular form and the head in place but it also serves as a ready means by which the operator may pick up the partly assembled box and hold it in proper position to be stapled. I

While the present description sets forth a preferred embodiment of the invention, numerous changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is therefore desired that the present embodiment be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being bad to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A method of assembling a four-walled tubular body member with a flanged end member which comprises slipping a collar over the end of the tubular body member, the collar being of such size as to somewhat deflect inwardly certain of the walls of the body member, then fitting the flanged head member within the end of the body member with the flanges projecting outwardly and substantially flush with the edges of thewalls of, the body member, the end member being frictionally held in place due to the inward deflection of certain of the walls by said collar, then securing three adjacent conjoined Walls the body member to corresponding .flanges on the head member and leaving one wall unsecured to form a hinged closure.

2. The method of assembling containers of sheet material which comprises a four Walled body blank and a pair of flanged, recessed end blanks, such method comprising folding the body blank into tubular form, retaining the body blank in tubular form by placing a retaining collar thereover, inserting a flanged, recessed end blank in place within an end of the body blank, stapling three adjacent conjoined sides of the tubular body to corresponding flanges of the recessed end blank, and securing a recessed end blank in the opposite end of the tubular body blank in like manner, whereby the nnstapled side of the body may serve as a-hinged cover for the container.

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 31st day of January, 1936.

HARRISGN B. W 

